Seaplane goes down at New College after leaving SRQ

One man was killed and another severely burned Saturday afternoon when a small plane crashed as the pilot attempted to take off from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The seaplane, which crashed about 3:30 p.m. on the west side of New College of Florida's campus near the Heiser science building, could not gain enough altitude, said Sarasota County Fire Department spokeswoman Capt. Susan Pearson. The pilot of the plane was killed and the badly burned passenger was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. The pilot was not from this area, Pearson said.

Authorities did not release the names of the pilot or passenger Saturday pending notification of their families.

Pearson said Saturday evening that she did not yet know where the plane was headed. After the plane took off from the airport, witnesses said it was flying low and dipping in the air.

One witness, Rich Parker, said he was standing in his kitchen near the window when he heard a loud pop "like a gunshot." He looked out the window and saw the plane banking, then veering toward the ground.

"I knew he was going to crash," Parker said. The plane looked like it might hit power lines and trees on the college campus directly behind his house, Parker said, but the pilot managed to avoid those and the plane came down in a grassy area. He said the branches littering the grass were knocked off as the plane came through.

There was a loud boom, then fire and smoke where the plane crashed, Parker said. Another witness said the plane caught fire before even hitting the ground.

"I couldn't believe how ferocious it was," Parker said of the fire. Witnesses in the area reported seeing a big black cloud of smoke immediately following the crash, which occurred about 100 yards from a school building.

Parker said the pilot initially appeared to be alive and yelled for help but was overtaken by the fire. The passenger was on fire and climbed out of the plane, he said.

Parker and other neighbors ran towards the plane but the fire was too hot and they could not get near it. The passenger was badly burned and in shock but was sitting up, Parker said. The passenger sustained second and third degree burns, according to the fire department. An airport rescue team was the first to respond.

Standing at the edge of the perimeter around the wreckage law enforcement later taped off, Parker said he felt "shook up" and his face still felt hot from the fire.

The county fire department sent 15 units to the scene. Pearson said in her memory, planes from the airport have had accidents while landing on the runway, but not after taking off.

"It miraculously did not hit a building or other structure. No one on the ground was injured," she said.

Firefighters doused the flames and there were no issues with hazardous materials presenting a problem, she said.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were at the scene Saturday and the National Transportation Safety Board will also be investigating the crash.